It can be exasperating finding a baseball glove that will do everything I need it to do, and fit my hand well enough so it doesn’t slip or constantly rub against my skin. Even a somewhat decent glove is expensive and an investment to being with, so I was willing to pay a little more for a glove that did it all – one that fit snugly on my hand, a perfect combination of stiffness and flexibility, and in a color I like. At long last, I think I found it.
I tried on a lot of different gloves, and did my homework on each of them. After much consideration, I decided to buy a glove made by Wilson that’s part of their A2000 series. Not only does my hand feel nice and snug inside the glove, I have more control when fielding ground balls and popups. Most important, it just felt right on my hand.
Why I Chose the Wilson A2000 Glove
Before I decided on the Wilson A2000 series glove, I was ready to spend a lot less for a middle of the road baseball glove, assuming that after I broke it in it would work okay. But then I checked out another sporting goods store and walked up to the Wilson display. I picked up a glove and put my hand inside. Immediately I felt how nicely it fit, even though it was brand new and the leather was still stiff. Having broken in lots of gloves before, I knew that once it softened it would fit even better. And I was right.
My research showed that Wilson uses what they call “Pro Stock leather” in the A2000 glove. Apparently they chose it because of its feel, which explains why it felt so perfect right away. It’s a little softer, yet also firm and inflexible. Wilson says their pro stock leather makes it easier to make the glove, making their lacing process smoother because they use soft and pliable leather.
There was a lot of technical information about how this glove is made, maybe even more than I needed to know. But Wilson employs a man known as a “glove guru” named Shigeaki Aso, who personally chooses the materials for the glove and who consults with pro ballplayers to fill their specific needs for baseball gloves. It turns out the leather is not only softer, but it also stretches, so when it’s all put together, all the different parts – web, palm, hinge and lacing – it works together as a single ball catching unit.
Handmade and Built to Last for Years
I was fascinated watching how this glove was made and how intricate the work is. Every part of the Wilson glove is handmade, starting with workers punching holes in the leather with old-style cutting machines and using a cutting die. Dozens of holes are punched into the leather through which laces function tying the glove together. Unique to the A2000 series, Wilson embroiders the glove before it’s put together, not afterwards like other gloves, because the makers don’t want to bend apart the materials once the glove has been formed.
Most impressive to me was that the glove was handmade from start to finish. It’s time consuming, requiring 18 hours to make a single glove. But what I saw was workers fine tuning the stitching and the forming of each glove. They could watch with their eyes and modify their movements on the glove. By the time it gets to final quality control review, it’s been studied for hours with imperfections removed at the final stage prior to shipment.
It was easy to see that Aso is an artist who knows his name will be linked to the gloves’ quality. How refreshing to see a master craftsman being personally responsible for what he designs, and not allowing for imperfection!
Why Do Pros Like the Wilson A2000 Glove?
The Wilson A2000 series glove has been around since 1957. I consider longevity to be synonymous with something that’s successful and popular. I found out that pro ballplayers Clayton Kershaw and Robinson Cano use the A2000 glove.
Ballplayers are, by necessity, well informed about baseball gloves. I play in leagues and sometimes we rise to compete nationally, but I do it for the sheer enjoyment of the game. Pro players earn a living playing the game, so their equipment needs to do the job.
What I’ve read is that they like the softness of the leather, how it’s pliable. Because the gloves are dual-welted, they curve with the fingers and the pocket molds to the shape of the ball over time. They like the fact that the A2000 is easier to break in, and once it does, it holds its shape for years and years. 
Wilson makes an even higher end glove than the A2000, but a lot of pros prefer this model all the same, though cost isn’t a factor. Tony Kemp of the Houston Astros prefers the A2000 over the highest end Wilson model because it’s softer and easier to break in. What really convinced me was watching him wearing the glove and flexing his hand inside of it.
Gloves and Performance on the Field?
Most of us reading this are not pro ballplayers. My years coaching high school baseball presented players who had a lot of promise, and a few of them moving on to play on farm teams. What I noticed more than anything was that these players used top quality equipment. I observed them at practice, gloves on hands, flexing them, unaware were doing it. I saw that the gloves the best players wear is like an appendage to their hands, a necessary extension to their palm and five fingers.
It became obvious to me that the best fielders had the best gloves. Even if no pro players used a certain model glove, if I saw a player field well with his, no matter who made it, I knew it worked perfectly for him.
The feeling of confidence one feels when a hot grounder comes their way, and deftly fielded as though it was a completely normal thing to do, comes when quality equipment is used. It’s not a stretch to say that your game will improve dramatically with an upper tier baseball glove. Mine did because the glove I use will do what I want it to do, and I never have to compensate for a cheaply made, mass produced baseball glove.
Cost Versus Benefit
A few years ago, I needed to get a new pair of shoes to wear to weddings, out to fancy restaurants and for other formal occasions. I saw an attractive pair and they looked good. Best of all, they were really inexpensive. Happily I bought them and wore to my daughter’s wedding.
After about an hour, I knew the agony I’d have when it was time to dance with the bride. It took all I had to look like I was enjoying the moment. The next day, I threw them in the closet and haven’t seen them since. The day after that, I went to a shoe store and found a pair I liked, but this time I looked at the materials, then realized how much more it cost. I bought them anyway, and five years later, they look as good as new and I don’t flinch when I have to do something in them.
The Wilson A2000, at about $249.00, costs more than the average glove. If you invest in this glove, rather than an attractive looking cheaper model made from tougher leather and plastic laces, you won’t need to go through buyer’s remorse, sacrificing quality for price. Even at this cost, the Wilson A2000 is the choice glove for some pros and lasts years and years. In the end, the cost of one high-quality glove comes out to much less than buying several low end machine made gloves over the same period of time. In life, and with baseball gear, you get what you pay for.
